Pub Date : 2025-12-31DOI: 10.1016/j.geosus.2025.100405
Pattrawut Pusingha , Robert A. Marchant , Richard M. Friend , Rui Han
Land degradation, coupled with climate change impacts, poses serious threats to global land health and human well-being. Participatory scenario planning (PSP) has become a key tool for exploring these interconnected challenges; however, its progress and effectiveness remain underexplored. This study reviews 46 papers, using PRISMA guidelines, to investigate how PSP supports sustainable land management and climate resilience. We document how PSP applications have evolved from a biophysical focus to one addressing broader environmental, societal, and economic challenges. Disparities in how participants engage across PSP phases document the need for more equitable and meaningful participation. Clustering future scenarios reveals the complex interconnections among ecological, social, and economic factors underpinning land management and climate resilience, underscoring the need for inclusive and integrated strategies. From the emerging trends, we identify opportunities to advance PSP implementation, including early engagement of decision-makers, balanced representation and equitable power dynamics, meaningful participation, cross-disciplinary collaboration, integration of human–nature relationships, and regular revision of future pathways. Overall, our review highlights PSP’s potential to co-create inclusive, equitable scenarios and actionable pathways towards sustainable and resilient land use futures.
{"title":"Emerging lessons on how participatory scenario planning can support sustainable land management and climate resilience","authors":"Pattrawut Pusingha , Robert A. Marchant , Richard M. Friend , Rui Han","doi":"10.1016/j.geosus.2025.100405","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.geosus.2025.100405","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Land degradation, coupled with climate change impacts, poses serious threats to global land health and human well-being. Participatory scenario planning (PSP) has become a key tool for exploring these interconnected challenges; however, its progress and effectiveness remain underexplored. This study reviews 46 papers, using PRISMA guidelines, to investigate how PSP supports sustainable land management and climate resilience. We document how PSP applications have evolved from a biophysical focus to one addressing broader environmental, societal, and economic challenges. Disparities in how participants engage across PSP phases document the need for more equitable and meaningful participation. Clustering future scenarios reveals the complex interconnections among ecological, social, and economic factors underpinning land management and climate resilience, underscoring the need for inclusive and integrated strategies. From the emerging trends, we identify opportunities to advance PSP implementation, including early engagement of decision-makers, balanced representation and equitable power dynamics, meaningful participation, cross-disciplinary collaboration, integration of human–nature relationships, and regular revision of future pathways. Overall, our review highlights PSP’s potential to co-create inclusive, equitable scenarios and actionable pathways towards sustainable and resilient land use futures.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":52374,"journal":{"name":"Geography and Sustainability","volume":"7 1","pages":"Article 100405"},"PeriodicalIF":8.0,"publicationDate":"2025-12-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145980768","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-29DOI: 10.1016/j.geosus.2025.100403
Jasper van Vliet , Hang Yang , Nathalie Benz , Changxiu Cheng , Jonathan Doelman , Jing Gao , Qingxu Huang , Eric Koomen , Xuecao Li , Lu Niu , Elizabeth A. Schrammeijer , Yuyu Zhou
Projections of future urban land change are essential for a range of sustainability assessments, including those related to biodiversity loss, carbon emissions, and agricultural land conversion. However, to what extent and where current projections agree or disagree remains unknown. Here, we systematically compare existing global projections that are consistent with the Shared Socioeconomic Pathways. We find that the total global urban land area is expected to increase by 112% between 2020 and 2100 (averaged across all projections), with a coefficient of variation of 0.81. This variation is mostly caused by the selection of the underlying drivers that are included in the different models. Regionally, the highest average growth rates are found in sub-Saharan Africa (+679% to +730%), while this region also has the highest variation across projections (coefficient of variation ranging from 2.02 to 2.18). When ranking scenarios within a study from the highest to the lowest projected increase in urban land, rankings are relatively similar for regions in the Global North, but not for regions in the Global South. The large disagreement across projections can lead to high uncertainties in assessments of future urban land change impacts, which can undermine the effectiveness of long-term planning, policymaking, and resource management decisions.
{"title":"Hotspots of disagreement across global urban land projections until 2100","authors":"Jasper van Vliet , Hang Yang , Nathalie Benz , Changxiu Cheng , Jonathan Doelman , Jing Gao , Qingxu Huang , Eric Koomen , Xuecao Li , Lu Niu , Elizabeth A. Schrammeijer , Yuyu Zhou","doi":"10.1016/j.geosus.2025.100403","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.geosus.2025.100403","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Projections of future urban land change are essential for a range of sustainability assessments, including those related to biodiversity loss, carbon emissions, and agricultural land conversion. However, to what extent and where current projections agree or disagree remains unknown. Here, we systematically compare existing global projections that are consistent with the Shared Socioeconomic Pathways. We find that the total global urban land area is expected to increase by 112% between 2020 and 2100 (averaged across all projections), with a coefficient of variation of 0.81. This variation is mostly caused by the selection of the underlying drivers that are included in the different models. Regionally, the highest average growth rates are found in sub-Saharan Africa (+679% to +730%), while this region also has the highest variation across projections (coefficient of variation ranging from 2.02 to 2.18). When ranking scenarios within a study from the highest to the lowest projected increase in urban land, rankings are relatively similar for regions in the Global North, but not for regions in the Global South. The large disagreement across projections can lead to high uncertainties in assessments of future urban land change impacts, which can undermine the effectiveness of long-term planning, policymaking, and resource management decisions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":52374,"journal":{"name":"Geography and Sustainability","volume":"7 1","pages":"Article 100403"},"PeriodicalIF":8.0,"publicationDate":"2025-12-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145980694","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-16DOI: 10.1016/j.geosus.2025.100402
Zihan Xu , Tianyi Wu , Tao Hu , Yanxu Liu , Jian Peng
International trade serves as a crucial pathway for enhancing global food security and equality amid severe food crises worldwide. Under globalization, economic development has profoundly influenced food trade, while disparities in food purchasing power among different economic development groups have led to uneven food security outcomes. However, the varying contributions of international trade to food security across these groups remain to be quantitatively elucidated. This study categorized countries into four economic development groups—high, high-medium, medium-low, and low—and examined changes in their food security scores from 2010 to 2019. The cross-group contributions of international trade to food security across these groups were compared. The results revealed that the food security score of the high economic development group was 9.22 times higher than that of the low economic development group. From 2010 to 2019, the high economic development group exhibited a significant upward trend in food security scores, whereas the low economic development group showed a significant decline. Moreover, international trade contributed significantly to both cross-group and within-group food security in the high economic development group, while its contribution to the low economic development group remained negligible. These findings demonstrated that international trade has further widened the food security gap between the high and low economic development groups, and its limited contribution to the low economic development group has failed to reverse the declining trend in their food security scores. This study quantified the divergent impacts of international trade on food security across economic development groups, providing valuable insights for optimizing global food trade policies—particularly in addressing the food security challenges faced by low econominc development group.
{"title":"International food trade increased the food security gap between high and low economic development groups","authors":"Zihan Xu , Tianyi Wu , Tao Hu , Yanxu Liu , Jian Peng","doi":"10.1016/j.geosus.2025.100402","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.geosus.2025.100402","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>International trade serves as a crucial pathway for enhancing global food security and equality amid severe food crises worldwide. Under globalization, economic development has profoundly influenced food trade, while disparities in food purchasing power among different economic development groups have led to uneven food security outcomes. However, the varying contributions of international trade to food security across these groups remain to be quantitatively elucidated. This study categorized countries into four economic development groups—high, high-medium, medium-low, and low—and examined changes in their food security scores from 2010 to 2019. The cross-group contributions of international trade to food security across these groups were compared. The results revealed that the food security score of the high economic development group was 9.22 times higher than that of the low economic development group. From 2010 to 2019, the high economic development group exhibited a significant upward trend in food security scores, whereas the low economic development group showed a significant decline. Moreover, international trade contributed significantly to both cross-group and within-group food security in the high economic development group, while its contribution to the low economic development group remained negligible. These findings demonstrated that international trade has further widened the food security gap between the high and low economic development groups, and its limited contribution to the low economic development group has failed to reverse the declining trend in their food security scores. This study quantified the divergent impacts of international trade on food security across economic development groups, providing valuable insights for optimizing global food trade policies—particularly in addressing the food security challenges faced by low econominc development group.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":52374,"journal":{"name":"Geography and Sustainability","volume":"7 1","pages":"Article 100402"},"PeriodicalIF":8.0,"publicationDate":"2025-12-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145980677","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-04DOI: 10.1016/j.geosus.2025.100401
Yiliang Li , Kaixuan Yao , Qingxiang Meng , Yujie Wang , Rui Xiao , Yuhang Liu , Sensen Wu , Yansheng Li
Ukraine, as one of the world’s largest agricultural producers and exporters, plays a critical role in global food security. It is essential to understand the spatiotemporal dynamics and drivers of productive cropland in Ukraine, particularly in the context of the 2022 Russia-Ukraine conflict. We provide the first comprehensive assessment of both conflict- and non-conflict-related factors that influenced the distribution and productivity of Ukraine’s cropland from 2013 to 2023. In addition, we propose a novel method using machine learning models to isolate the impact of conflict on cropland. Our findings reveal that, prior to the conflict, the spatial pattern of Ukraine’s mean cultivation rate was primarily shaped by natural factors—such as climate, soil properties, and elevation—whereas socio-economic factors (e.g., GDP and population size) exerted a weaker influence. Interannual dynamics in productive cropland area were largely driven by climate variability. The onset of conflict in 2022 dramatically altered this landscape, with nearly half of the cropland grid cells experiencing a conflict-induced reduction. Notably, almost half of the interannual reduction in productive cropland in 2022 was attributed to climate change. Remarkably, in 2023, the return of displaced populations and favorable climatic conditions in many oblasts contributed to a positive trend in cropland reclamation. Despite this, the total area of productive cropland in 2023 remained below expected levels, due to ongoing conflict and localized droughts. Finally, we highlight the urgent need to adopt a two-pronged approach that addresses both the immediate impacts of conflict and the ongoing threats posed by climate change to ensure the resilience and sustainability of agricultural systems in post-conflict areas.
{"title":"Dynamic patterns and driving factors of productive cropland in Ukraine before and after Russia-Ukraine conflict","authors":"Yiliang Li , Kaixuan Yao , Qingxiang Meng , Yujie Wang , Rui Xiao , Yuhang Liu , Sensen Wu , Yansheng Li","doi":"10.1016/j.geosus.2025.100401","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.geosus.2025.100401","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Ukraine, as one of the world’s largest agricultural producers and exporters, plays a critical role in global food security. It is essential to understand the spatiotemporal dynamics and drivers of productive cropland in Ukraine, particularly in the context of the 2022 Russia-Ukraine conflict. We provide the first comprehensive assessment of both conflict- and non-conflict-related factors that influenced the distribution and productivity of Ukraine’s cropland from 2013 to 2023. In addition, we propose a novel method using machine learning models to isolate the impact of conflict on cropland. Our findings reveal that, prior to the conflict, the spatial pattern of Ukraine’s mean cultivation rate was primarily shaped by natural factors—such as climate, soil properties, and elevation—whereas socio-economic factors (e.g., GDP and population size) exerted a weaker influence. Interannual dynamics in productive cropland area were largely driven by climate variability. The onset of conflict in 2022 dramatically altered this landscape, with nearly half of the cropland grid cells experiencing a conflict-induced reduction. Notably, almost half of the interannual reduction in productive cropland in 2022 was attributed to climate change. Remarkably, in 2023, the return of displaced populations and favorable climatic conditions in many oblasts contributed to a positive trend in cropland reclamation. Despite this, the total area of productive cropland in 2023 remained below expected levels, due to ongoing conflict and localized droughts. Finally, we highlight the urgent need to adopt a two-pronged approach that addresses both the immediate impacts of conflict and the ongoing threats posed by climate change to ensure the resilience and sustainability of agricultural systems in post-conflict areas.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":52374,"journal":{"name":"Geography and Sustainability","volume":"7 1","pages":"Article 100401"},"PeriodicalIF":8.0,"publicationDate":"2025-12-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145980678","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-03DOI: 10.1016/j.geosus.2025.100400
Zonghan Ma , Bingfang Wu , Nana Yan , Weiwei Zhu , Mengxiao Li , Hongwei Zeng , Yixuan Wang , Peilin Song , Qiquan Yang , Qingcheng Pan
Accurate water budget closure is critical for sustainable water resource management facing increased pressures from climate change and human activities. Although error reduction methods for individual water balance components have advanced, persistent biases remain due to the independent development of datasets, impacting basin scale water budget balance. In this research, we analyzed the mathematical origin of the bias between water budget components and developed a new basin-scale water balance calibration method that redistributes errors across components while enforcing water balance constraints. Validation confirms systematic improvements, with reduced RMSE (Precipitation: -2.29 mm/month; ET: -1.34 mm/month) and increased R² against in situ observations. Applied to the Jinghe River Basin (2000−2019), the calibrated data reveal declining precipitation (-1.70 mm/year) and evapotranspiration (-1.84 mm/year) alongside slightly increasing runoff (0.20 mm/year in basin depth), signaling a drying trend. Land cover changes—marked by cropland loss (-3,497 km²) and forest (+720 km²) and grassland (+2,776 km²) expansion—reflect improved water consumption requirements by ecosystem, raising concerns for water retention and ecosystem stability. The method is particularly effective for ungauged basins with sparse ground data and underscores the need for integrated land-water management to enhance long-term resilience.
{"title":"A basin-scale water budget calibration method for sustainable water management: A case study in the Loess Plateau, China","authors":"Zonghan Ma , Bingfang Wu , Nana Yan , Weiwei Zhu , Mengxiao Li , Hongwei Zeng , Yixuan Wang , Peilin Song , Qiquan Yang , Qingcheng Pan","doi":"10.1016/j.geosus.2025.100400","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.geosus.2025.100400","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Accurate water budget closure is critical for sustainable water resource management facing increased pressures from climate change and human activities. Although error reduction methods for individual water balance components have advanced, persistent biases remain due to the independent development of datasets, impacting basin scale water budget balance. In this research, we analyzed the mathematical origin of the bias between water budget components and developed a new basin-scale water balance calibration method that redistributes errors across components while enforcing water balance constraints. Validation confirms systematic improvements, with reduced RMSE (Precipitation: -2.29 mm/month; ET: -1.34 mm/month) and increased <em>R</em>² against in situ observations. Applied to the Jinghe River Basin (2000−2019), the calibrated data reveal declining precipitation (-1.70 mm/year) and evapotranspiration (-1.84 mm/year) alongside slightly increasing runoff (0.20 mm/year in basin depth), signaling a drying trend. Land cover changes—marked by cropland loss (-3,497 km²) and forest (+720 km²) and grassland (+2,776 km²) expansion—reflect improved water consumption requirements by ecosystem, raising concerns for water retention and ecosystem stability. The method is particularly effective for ungauged basins with sparse ground data and underscores the need for integrated land-water management to enhance long-term resilience.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":52374,"journal":{"name":"Geography and Sustainability","volume":"7 1","pages":"Article 100400"},"PeriodicalIF":8.0,"publicationDate":"2025-12-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145980679","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-03DOI: 10.1016/j.geosus.2025.100399
Qiting Zuo , Zhizhuo Zhang , Junxia Ma , Qingsong Wu , Yihu Ji
Unequal virtual water transfer may aggravate local water scarcity risk. However, the quantitative confirmation of a clear geographic convergence between virtual water transfer and water scarcity risk remains undetermined. We present an analytical framework that reveals the spatial matching between global water scarcity risk and virtual water trade inequality. This framework integrates a three-dimensional water scarcity risk assessment, hybrid input-output analysis, pollution trade term construction, and geographic convergence identification. The framework is applied to 123 countries for long-term validation from 1991 to 2021. We show that despite global improvements in water efficiency and security, countries exceeding the maximum water vulnerability threshold have increased by 50 %. South Asia is the largest net exporter of virtual water. Central Asia exhibits the most pronounced virtual water trade inequality. To achieve the same economic growth, Central Asia needs to pay several times the local water consumption costs of developed regions (15.9 − 83.6 times, 2021). In the past 30 years, the average geographic convergence index exceeded 0.8. Countries facing severe water scarcity also exhibit pronounced inequalities in virtual water trade, indicating that a significant geographic convergence relationship exists. Effectively responding to this unsustainable relationship necessitates balancing both domestic resource risk management and global virtual water trade regulation.
{"title":"Revealing the potential geographic convergence of global water scarcity risk and virtual water trade inequality: A three-module integrated analytical approach","authors":"Qiting Zuo , Zhizhuo Zhang , Junxia Ma , Qingsong Wu , Yihu Ji","doi":"10.1016/j.geosus.2025.100399","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.geosus.2025.100399","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Unequal virtual water transfer may aggravate local water scarcity risk. However, the quantitative confirmation of a clear geographic convergence between virtual water transfer and water scarcity risk remains undetermined. We present an analytical framework that reveals the spatial matching between global water scarcity risk and virtual water trade inequality. This framework integrates a three-dimensional water scarcity risk assessment, hybrid input-output analysis, pollution trade term construction, and geographic convergence identification. The framework is applied to 123 countries for long-term validation from 1991 to 2021. We show that despite global improvements in water efficiency and security, countries exceeding the maximum water vulnerability threshold have increased by 50 %. South Asia is the largest net exporter of virtual water. Central Asia exhibits the most pronounced virtual water trade inequality. To achieve the same economic growth, Central Asia needs to pay several times the local water consumption costs of developed regions (15.9 − 83.6 times, 2021). In the past 30 years, the average geographic convergence index exceeded 0.8. Countries facing severe water scarcity also exhibit pronounced inequalities in virtual water trade, indicating that a significant geographic convergence relationship exists. Effectively responding to this unsustainable relationship necessitates balancing both domestic resource risk management and global virtual water trade regulation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":52374,"journal":{"name":"Geography and Sustainability","volume":"7 1","pages":"Article 100399"},"PeriodicalIF":8.0,"publicationDate":"2025-12-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145980692","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-01DOI: 10.1016/j.geosus.2025.100379
Bojie Fu , David J. Eldridge , Jingyi Ding
{"title":"The second phase of Global Dryland Ecosystem Program—Focusing on dryland social-ecological system and sustainability","authors":"Bojie Fu , David J. Eldridge , Jingyi Ding","doi":"10.1016/j.geosus.2025.100379","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.geosus.2025.100379","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":52374,"journal":{"name":"Geography and Sustainability","volume":"6 6","pages":"Article 100379"},"PeriodicalIF":8.0,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145839268","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-01DOI: 10.1016/j.geosus.2025.100380
Wenwu Zhao , Zhengyang Wang , Yanxu Liu , Michael E. Meadows
The 2025 International Workshop on Geography and Sustainability, held in Xi’an, China, from 17 to 20 October, convened at a time of intensifying global challenges and renewed efforts to advance sustainable development. Under the theme “Geography for Sustainable Development: Interdisciplinary Perspectives”, the event explored innovative approaches to strengthening geography’s role in global and regional sustainability. Five key research priorities were identified, viz. integration of geographical methods; integration of geographical processes; integration of geographical regions; Coupled Human and Natural Systems; and regional and global sustainability. The conference featured several important international initiatives: the establishment of the African Chapter of the International Geographical Union Commission on Geography and Sustainability, the launch of Phase II of the Global Dryland Ecosystem Programme, and the signing of a cooperative agreement between the Geographical Society of China and the Egyptian Geographical Society. The wider discussions reflected a growing need to further develop integrated geography as a coherent discipline to better understand and respond to complex human natural interactions. It also called for aligning future research priorities with the proposed United Nations Centennial Goals for 2045, and for strengthening South-South collaboration and dryland research networks. These collective efforts aim to expand geography’s role in both knowledge and action for sustainability.
{"title":"Integrating geography for sustainable development: Insights from the 2025 International Workshop on Geography and Sustainability","authors":"Wenwu Zhao , Zhengyang Wang , Yanxu Liu , Michael E. Meadows","doi":"10.1016/j.geosus.2025.100380","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.geosus.2025.100380","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The 2025 International Workshop on Geography and Sustainability, held in Xi’an, China, from 17 to 20 October, convened at a time of intensifying global challenges and renewed efforts to advance sustainable development. Under the theme “Geography for Sustainable Development: Interdisciplinary Perspectives”, the event explored innovative approaches to strengthening geography’s role in global and regional sustainability. Five key research priorities were identified, viz. integration of geographical methods; integration of geographical processes; integration of geographical regions; Coupled Human and Natural Systems; and regional and global sustainability. The conference featured several important international initiatives: the establishment of the African Chapter of the International Geographical Union Commission on Geography and Sustainability, the launch of Phase II of the Global Dryland Ecosystem Programme, and the signing of a cooperative agreement between the Geographical Society of China and the Egyptian Geographical Society. The wider discussions reflected a growing need to further develop integrated geography as a coherent discipline to better understand and respond to complex human natural interactions. It also called for aligning future research priorities with the proposed United Nations Centennial Goals for 2045, and for strengthening South-South collaboration and dryland research networks. These collective efforts aim to expand geography’s role in both knowledge and action for sustainability.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":52374,"journal":{"name":"Geography and Sustainability","volume":"6 6","pages":"Article 100380"},"PeriodicalIF":8.0,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145839269","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-11-28DOI: 10.1016/j.geosus.2025.100397
Hao Wu , Ping Zhang , Jun Chen , Songnian Li , Jing Li , Shu Peng , Dongyang Hou , Jun Zhang , Hao Chen
Sustained and spatially explicit monitoring of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is critical for effectively tracking progress toward the global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Although land cover information has long been recognized as an essential component for monitoring SDGs, a standardized scientific framework for identifying and prioritizing land cover related essential variables does not exist. Therefore, we propose a novel expert- and data-driven framework for identifying, refining, and selecting a priority list of Essential Land cover-related Variables for SDGs (ELcV4SDGs). This framework integrates methods including expert knowledge-based analysis, clustering of variables with similar attributes, and quantified index calculation to establish the priority list. Applying the framework to 15 specific SDG indicators, we found that the ELcV4SDGs priority list comprises three main categories, type and structure, pattern and intensity, and process and evolution of land cover, which are further divided into 19 subcategories and ultimately encompass 50 general variables. The ELcV4SDGs will support detailed spatial monitoring and enhance their scientific applications for SDG monitoring and assessment, thereby guiding future SDG priority actions and informing decision-making to advance the 2030 SDGs agenda at local, national, and global levels.
{"title":"A data- and expert-driven framework for establishing land cover–related essential variables for SDG monitoring and assessment","authors":"Hao Wu , Ping Zhang , Jun Chen , Songnian Li , Jing Li , Shu Peng , Dongyang Hou , Jun Zhang , Hao Chen","doi":"10.1016/j.geosus.2025.100397","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.geosus.2025.100397","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Sustained and spatially explicit monitoring of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is critical for effectively tracking progress toward the global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Although land cover information has long been recognized as an essential component for monitoring SDGs, a standardized scientific framework for identifying and prioritizing land cover related essential variables does not exist. Therefore, we propose a novel expert- and data-driven framework for identifying, refining, and selecting a priority list of Essential Land cover-related Variables for SDGs (ELcV4SDGs). This framework integrates methods including expert knowledge-based analysis, clustering of variables with similar attributes, and quantified index calculation to establish the priority list. Applying the framework to 15 specific SDG indicators, we found that the ELcV4SDGs priority list comprises three main categories, type and structure, pattern and intensity, and process and evolution of land cover, which are further divided into 19 subcategories and ultimately encompass 50 general variables. The ELcV4SDGs will support detailed spatial monitoring and enhance their scientific applications for SDG monitoring and assessment, thereby guiding future SDG priority actions and informing decision-making to advance the 2030 SDGs agenda at local, national, and global levels.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":52374,"journal":{"name":"Geography and Sustainability","volume":"7 1","pages":"Article 100397"},"PeriodicalIF":8.0,"publicationDate":"2025-11-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145941338","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-11-28DOI: 10.1016/j.geosus.2025.100394
Ning Su , Xiaobing Li , Xin Lyu , Dongliang Dang , Siyu Liu , Chenhao Zhang
Compared with traditional energy sources, wind power has a lower environmental impact. However, emissions are still generated across the life cycle of wind turbines, from production to recycling. As wind power rapidly develops and deployment increases, these impacts are becoming increasingly evident. A comprehensive understanding of these impacts is crucial for sustainable development. Based on the harmonization of previous detailed life cycle assessment (LCA) studies, this study develops a simplified LCA model that estimates the life cycle environmental impacts of wind turbines based on their nominal power. Using this simplified LCA model, we assess the global warming potential (GWP), acidification potential (AP), and cumulative energy demand (CED) of wind power at the regional scale for 2022 and under three future scenarios (high-power wind turbine promotion, reduced wind curtailment, and a comprehensive development scenario). The results indicate that in 2022, the life cycle GWP, AP, and CED of wind power in western China were 10.76 g CO2 eq/kWh, 0.177 g SO2 eq/kWh, and 17.6 kJ/kWh, respectively. Scenario simulations suggest that reducing wind curtailment is the most effective approach for reducing emissions in Inner Mongolia, Gansu, Qinghai, Ningxia, and Xinjiang, producing average decreases of 8.64 % in GWP, 8.39 % in AP, and 9.26 % in CED. In contrast, for Guangxi, Chongqing, Sichuan, Guizhou, Yunnan, Xizang, and Shaanxi, the promotion of high-power wind turbines provides greater environmental benefits than reducing curtailment, producing average decreases of 3.45 %, 3.09 %, and 4.29 % in GWP, AP, and CED, respectively. These findings help clarify the environmental impact of wind power across its life cycle at the regional scale and provide theoretical references for the direction of future wind power development and the formulation of related policies.
与传统能源相比,风力发电对环境的影响较小。然而,在风力涡轮机的整个生命周期中,从生产到回收,仍然会产生排放。随着风电的快速发展和部署的增加,这些影响变得越来越明显。全面了解这些影响对可持续发展至关重要。基于先前详细的生命周期评估(LCA)研究的统一,本研究开发了一个简化的LCA模型,该模型基于其标称功率估计风力涡轮机的生命周期环境影响。利用该简化的LCA模型,我们评估了2022年区域尺度上风电的全球变暖潜势(GWP)、酸化潜势(AP)和累积能源需求(CED),以及未来三种情景(大功率风力发电推广、减少弃风和综合开发情景)。结果表明,2022年中国西部风电全生命周期GWP、AP和CED分别为10.76 g CO2 eq/kWh、0.177 g SO2 eq/kWh和17.6 kJ/kWh。情景模拟结果表明,减少弃风是内蒙古、甘肃、青海、宁夏和新疆地区最有效的减排方法,平均减少了8.64%的GWP,减少了8.39%的AP和9.26%的CED。相比之下,在广西、重庆、四川、贵州、云南、西藏和陕西,推广大功率风力发电机组的环境效益大于减少弃风,GWP、AP和CED的平均降幅分别为3.45%、3.09%和4.29%。这些发现有助于在区域尺度上理清风电全生命周期的环境影响,为未来风电发展方向和相关政策的制定提供理论参考。
{"title":"Life cycle environmental impacts and emission reduction pathways of wind power in western China: A scenario-based assessment","authors":"Ning Su , Xiaobing Li , Xin Lyu , Dongliang Dang , Siyu Liu , Chenhao Zhang","doi":"10.1016/j.geosus.2025.100394","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.geosus.2025.100394","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Compared with traditional energy sources, wind power has a lower environmental impact. However, emissions are still generated across the life cycle of wind turbines, from production to recycling. As wind power rapidly develops and deployment increases, these impacts are becoming increasingly evident. A comprehensive understanding of these impacts is crucial for sustainable development. Based on the harmonization of previous detailed life cycle assessment (LCA) studies, this study develops a simplified LCA model that estimates the life cycle environmental impacts of wind turbines based on their nominal power. Using this simplified LCA model, we assess the global warming potential (GWP), acidification potential (AP), and cumulative energy demand (CED) of wind power at the regional scale for 2022 and under three future scenarios (high-power wind turbine promotion, reduced wind curtailment, and a comprehensive development scenario). The results indicate that in 2022, the life cycle GWP, AP, and CED of wind power in western China were 10.76 g CO<sub>2</sub> eq/kWh, 0.177 g SO<sub>2</sub> eq/kWh, and 17.6 kJ/kWh, respectively. Scenario simulations suggest that reducing wind curtailment is the most effective approach for reducing emissions in Inner Mongolia, Gansu, Qinghai, Ningxia, and Xinjiang, producing average decreases of 8.64 % in GWP, 8.39 % in AP, and 9.26 % in CED. In contrast, for Guangxi, Chongqing, Sichuan, Guizhou, Yunnan, Xizang, and Shaanxi, the promotion of high-power wind turbines provides greater environmental benefits than reducing curtailment, producing average decreases of 3.45 %, 3.09 %, and 4.29 % in GWP, AP, and CED, respectively. These findings help clarify the environmental impact of wind power across its life cycle at the regional scale and provide theoretical references for the direction of future wind power development and the formulation of related policies.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":52374,"journal":{"name":"Geography and Sustainability","volume":"7 1","pages":"Article 100394"},"PeriodicalIF":8.0,"publicationDate":"2025-11-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145941333","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}